For thousands of years, homes in Egypt were built with sun-dried bricks. Mud taken from the bottom of the Nile River and grain husks were mixed and shaped. Bricks were dried in the sun until they became rock hard. Learn about these energy-efficient buildings and then create a replica (without the mud!).

Students measure, mark, and cut four pieces of cardboard for the sides of the house using a ruler, Crayola® Erasable Colored Pencils, and Crayola Scissors. Cut another larger piece of cardboard for a base and outdoor area.

Flatten brown Crayola Model Magic to form the brick sides. If you have white Model Magic, create brown rubbing in dye from a Crayola Washable Marker. Knead and add more marker color until you get the shade you want.

Attach Model Magic slabs to the cardboard with Crayola School Glue. With a craft stick, etch horizontal and vertical lines in the Model Magic to resemble bricks. Add windows and doors by etching them or pressing on other Model Magic colors. Damp Model Magic sticks to itself.

Use more Model Magic, and glue if needed, to attach the four sides of the house to each other. Glue the house to the large piece of cardboard. To create a roof, glue together craft sticks (you can color them with marker if you wish). Air-dry the roof and then place it on top of your house. Create other items for the house including the people!

LA: Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

LA: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grade level topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.

LA: Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of aspects of a topic.

LA: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

LA: Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

SCI: Ask questions about the natural and human-built worlds.

SCI: Construct drawings or diagrams as representations of events or systems.

SS: Describe and speculate about physical system changes, such as seasons, climate and weather, and the water cycle.

SS: Examine the interaction of human beings and their physical environment, the use of land, building of cities, and ecosystem changes in selected locales and regions.

VA: Use different media, techniques, and processes to communicate ideas, experiences, and stories.

VA: Use visual structures of art to communicate ideas.

VA: Identify specific works of art as belonging to particular cultures, times, and places.

In small groups, students create a chart depicting different types of traditional houses around the world. Students include a short discussion about how the construction of dwellings depends on location, climate, and natural resources. Post the question for discussion: How is this changing today? Why?

Individually, students interview their parents to discover what materials were used to construct the dwelling they live in today. Students determine which materials are natural and which are manufactured.